Onmyoji, Threats, and Intimidation

The light in the bamboo grove dimmed all at once.

I tried to go back the way I came, but after walking for nearly ten minutes, I still couldn't get out of the woods.

I stopped. I realized I might be lost.

This little bamboo grove wasn't unfamiliar to me. It wasn't that big—just a small patch of woods in the Jiaxiu Tower leisure park. A place no bigger than a palm, and I'd gotten lost.

That shouldn't have been possible.

Someone must be messing with me.

Once I figured that out, I calmed down.

My gaze swept the surroundings. I was sure the one causing trouble was that black-robed figure.

And the reason Chu Ge and the others couldn't follow me into that dream was also because of him.

But why did he pull me into that dream? Why make me witness Xie Xiaotang's death with my own eyes? Wasn't that a kind of provocation?

He knew I was in charge of this case now. Playing this trick was his way of telling me to back off. He was even sending a signal—he could toy with Xie Xiaotang to death, and he could do the same to me.

Even with three helpers by my side, at the critical moment, they couldn't do a thing to help.

"Come out! Come out right now!" I shouted, fear stirring inside me, but more than that, vigilance.

"Kid, don't meddle in affairs that don't concern you. This game is beyond your reach." A voice came from behind me.

I spun around sharply, and sure enough, there was the black-robed man.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded harshly.

The black-robed man's voice was icy: "This is the first and last time. If you dare meddle again, you'll be the next to die."

His words made the temperature around me seem to drop. I actually felt a chill.

"Is that so? If you've got the guts, come and kill him right now."

Duan Hongbin appeared, standing to my left, looking lazy as he casually picked at his ear.

"I'd love to see how you plan to make him die." The speaker was Chu Ge, appearing on my right.

"And me. How could a lively scene like this be complete without me? But I have to say, you've set the atmosphere pretty well. Even I was almost spooked."

The moment the three of them showed up, the black-robed man vanished into thin air.

"You'll be the next to die!" That was what he said as he left. I could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

Only after the black-robed man disappeared did I let out a long sigh of relief.

I looked at Chu Ge: "How did you guys get here? Didn't you say earlier that he had some skill, that he could block you from appearing?"

Chu Ge smiled. Eccentric Song said, "If we'd shown ourselves from the start, you wouldn't have gotten to see that car crash replay, would you? And you wouldn't have faced this guy head-on."

Duan Hongbin said flatly, "Thinks he's something special. He's just trash."

I frowned: "Do you know who he is?"

Duan Hongbin nodded: "He's an Onmyoji. Probably from the Island Nation."

I'd heard of Onmyoji before. There was even a pretty popular game about them.

But I don't play games. I'm not interested in that stuff.

Or rather, there aren't many things in this world that can hold my interest, because my heart is filled with the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance. The only thing I care about is where my parents are now, and whether they're still alive.

I joined Unit Nine for one reason only—to uncover the truth behind the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance incident.

But investigating Xie Xiaotang's death is my duty. It's the obligation I have to fulfill while enjoying the rights that come with being in Unit Nine.

I just didn't expect Xie Xiaotang's case to be so complicated, even dragging in an Onmyoji from the Island Nation.

"What? Scared?" Duan Hongbin lightly patted my shoulder. I shook my head.

I had felt some fear just now, but I wouldn't back down because of his threats and intimidation.

Because I knew deep down that the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance case was a hundred or even a thousand times more complicated than this. If I flinched at a setback like this, I'd never uncover the truth of what disappeared at the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance, and I'd never find my parents.

"Relax. An Onmyoji isn't worth a second thought to me." Duan Hongbin was full of confidence.

Chu Ge added, "With us around, he can't do anything to you, and he wouldn't dare."

Eccentric Song also laughed and said, "That's right. Anyone who underestimates us brothers will die a very ugly death."

I nodded: "Thanks."

"Enough. Who's counting between us? Don't ever say 'thanks' again." After Chu Ge said that, the three of them vanished.

This time, I walked out of the little bamboo grove with ease.

Leaving the Jiaxiu Tower leisure park, I found a noodle shop on the street and ordered a large bowl of Changwang Noodles with an extra serving, plus an egg. I wolfed it all down.

I have a big appetite. I don't know if it's because of the three of them being around.

That big bowl of noodles was my lunch.

After eating, I called Xie Yi.

I had to report the matter of the Onmyoji to him.

He was genuinely surprised after hearing this: "Are you sure it's an Onmyoji from the Island Nation?"

"Positive. I trust Duan Hongbin." When it came to the three of them, I had absolute, unconditional faith.

"I understand. Then be careful on your end. I'll arrange for people to protect you. Try not to have a direct confrontation with him—those bastards from the Island Nation have no principles or bottom lines."

"You don't need to send anyone to protect us. We can handle ourselves."

That confidence of mine came from my three companions.

Xie Yi seemed to hesitate for a moment: "Alright then. Just don't act impulsively, no matter what."

Around 2:40 in the afternoon, I arrived at the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau.

I went straight to the director's office.

The director's surname was Fang, a man in his fifties.

"What do you want with her?" Director Fang eyed me warily when he learned I was inquiring about Xie Xiaotang.

"I'm with the Municipal Police Bureau's Criminal Investigation Unit. Here's my ID."

What I showed him was indeed a Municipal Bureau ID, one of those the black-suited man arranged by Xie Yi had given me earlier. Though I also had a Unit Nine ID on me, the black-suited man said this one might work better for routine investigations.

Of course, I'd never actually been to the Municipal Bureau, nor did I know a single person there.

But I believed that even if Director Fang really tried to verify the ID, there wouldn't be any issues.

Director Fang took it, glanced at it, then handed it back and invited me to sit down.

"By procedure, doesn't your bureau usually send two people for cases like this?" Director Fang actually knew the police investigation process. I said, "It was supposed to be two, but my colleague had an urgent matter and left halfway. Since I was already here, I figured I'd start gathering information. Besides, it's not a major case—no need to stick rigidly to procedure."

Director Fang nodded slightly.

"So what aspects do you want to know about?"

"Let's start with Xie Xiaotang as a person. What's your impression of her?"

Director Fang thought for a moment before speaking slowly: "Xiaotang came to our bureau right after graduating from university. I was the one who recruited her back then. That's about thirteen or fourteen years ago now. She studied archaeology in college—a perfect fit for the job. And she has a real gift for artifact authentication. As Old Yao put it, she was born for this line of work. Oh, Old Yao was her graduate advisor in university."

"The Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau shouldn't have that many artifacts needing authentication, right?"

"Not a huge number, true. But she's often invited to participate in archaeological activities. The discovery of Emperor Jianwen's cenotaph in Tangbian County—she was the one in charge of authentication and verification. She's famous not just in Qian Province, but in domestic circles too. Honestly, with her skills, she could easily make a fortune outside. But she never took private jobs. She was always serious and responsible about her work. A good comrade. Ah, what a shame. I just don't understand—how could someone like her vanish just like that?"

I could tell Director Fang genuinely felt sorry for her.

"How did she get along with her colleagues?"

"Decently enough. She wasn't very sociable, but she could handle normal interpersonal interactions."

I pressed further: "What do you mean by 'not very sociable'?"

"She rarely joined group activities. Sometimes colleagues would invite her out for meals or karaoke, and she'd always politely decline. You know, after over a decade as coworkers, people often visit each other's homes, exchange gifts during holidays—but she never went to anyone's house, and she never invited anyone to hers."

"Never? Has it been like that since she started working, or just in recent years?"

"Always been that way." Director Fang seemed puzzled by why I'd ask.

But I had my own thoughts.

If it had started in recent years—after her miscarriage, when keeping a little ghost at home made it inconvenient to have colleagues over—I could understand that. But always being like that? That didn't add up.